TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Wednesday, Feb. 24.
TODAY'S HIGHLIGHT
On Feb. 24, 1868, the U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson by a vote of 126-47 following his attempted dismissal of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton; Johnson was later acquitted by the Senate.
ON THIS DATE
In 1803, in its Marbury v. Madison decision, the Supreme Court established judicial review of the constitutionality of statutes. In 1815, American engineer and inventor Robert Fulton, credited with building the first successful commercial steamboat, died in New York at 49.
In 1938, the first nylon bristle toothbrush, manufactured by DuPont under the name “Dr. West’s Miracle Toothbrush,” went on sale.
In 1942, the SS Struma, a charter ship attempting to carry nearly 800 Jewish refugees from Romania to British-mandated Palestine, was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine in the Black Sea; all but one of the refugees perished.
In 1961, the Federal Communications Commission authorized the nation’s first full-scale trial of pay television in Hartford, Connecticut.
In 1981, a jury in White Plains, New York, found Jean Harris guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of“Scarsdale Diet”author
Dr. Herman Tarnower. (Sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, Harris was granted clemency by New York Gov. Mario Cuomo in December 1992.)
In 1988, in a ruling that expanded legal protections for parody and satire, the
Supreme Court unanimously overturned a $150,000 award that the Rev. Jerry Falwell had won against Hustler magazine and its publisher, Larry Flynt.
In 1989, a state funeral was held in Japan for Emperor Hirohito, who had died the month before at age 87.
In 1993, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney resigned after more than eight years in office.
In 1996, Cuba downed two small American planes operated by the group Brothers to the Rescue that it claimed were violating Cuban airspace; all four pilots were killed.
In 2008, Cuba’s parliament named Raul Castro president, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel.
In 2015, the Justice Department announced that George Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot Trayvon Martin in a 2012 confrontation, would not face federal charges.
One year ago: The White House sent lawmakers a
$2.5 billion plan to respond to the coronavirus; it was immediately slammed by Democrats as insufficient.
Wall Street endured its worst session in two years, with the Dow industrials slumping more than 1,000 points on fears that the viral outbreak would weaken the world economy. Police manned checkpoints around sealed-off towns in northern Italy. Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was convicted in New York on charges of rape and sexual assault against two women. Friends and family of Kobe Bryant joined 20,000 fans in mourning the NBA superstar at the Los Angeles arena where he played for 17 seasons.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Someone is expecting you to pull a rabbit out of your hat, and can you blame them? You’ve done this trick before to astonishing effect. Now for the key question: What’s in it for you?
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’ll get props. These are probably deserved, but you won’t feel that way. Even if you think you haven’t earned this respect and admiration, don’t deflect it. A simple thank you is all that’s needed.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Go with the momentum. Resist the urge to make a thing perfect or start over the “right” way
... this is just fear talking. Keep going; you’ll be able to build on what you have. Work what’s working.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). There’s the reason why you like each other, and then there’s the real reason why you like each other, and they are seldom the same reason. The relationship will thrive in awareness and service of the real reason.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). The title of a poem by Paige Lewis reads, “In the Hands of Borrowers, Objects Are Twice as Likely to Break.” The notion holds true today, so be neither a borrower nor a lender.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You are needed for your talents. In some ways, you are indispensable. And while it feels good to do something that another cannot, it’s also a lot of responsibility that could get burdensome if held for too long.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). It’s absolutely brilliant to have something, and it’s absolutely brilliant to not have it. Each is its own kind of brilliance. Not worrying about a loss or gain ... that’s liberation.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).
Now, more so than last week, you get attached to the thing you do routinely. Use this to your advantage by adding that one thing you want to be a part of your daily life.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Someone you admire is having a regular roller coaster of a time lately. Following someone so unpredictable is an adventure that, in a weird way, makes you feel grounded by comparison.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). What clear and poignant observations have you — and now for someone to tell them to ... it’s true they would be wasted on someone close to you. For now, preserve and save them just for you.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Animals don’t have leisure time, because they have no delineation between what they have to do and get to do. It’s all just what they’re doing. You’ll benefit from an animalistic approach, reducing mental noise.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). There are aspects of you, caused by your sensitivity, that you sometimes want to change. There’s nothing wrong with these parts of you, but they make certain situations more difficult. Create workarounds.
IF TODAY IS YOUR BIRTHDAY:
You didn’t think it was a burden at the time, and yet a responsibility will come to its natural ending place, and suddenly, you’re free to enter an era of discovery and exploration. It’s as though the color dial has been turned up in your worldview and life comes at you with overdue vividness and excitement. Cancer and Capricorn adore you. Your lucky numbers are 6, 18, 44, 38 and 9.